Praytell POV: Bluesky's Rise

The social media landscape is shifting—what else is new?! Now, Bluesky is emerging as a platform worth watching. For brands and PR professionals, this represents an exciting opportunity to explore new ways of engaging audiences, staying connected with journalists, and navigating a competitive digital space. Check out our POV on how brands should take action now:

Here’s the Scoop:

Bluesky is a decentralized social media platform developed as an alternative to traditional networks like X (formerly Twitter). Founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky aims to provide users with greater control over their data and content through its innovative Authenticated Transfer (AT) Protocol. This protocol enables users to customize their experience by selecting specific algorithms to curate their feeds—enhancing personalization and privacy. 

This user-first approach addresses growing concerns around data exploitation and the homogenized nature of content curation on traditional platforms. In fact, Bluesky’s explicit stance against using user posts for AI training is a huge reassurance for privacy-conscious users and creates a point of differentiation from competitors which have faced criticism for their AI practices. 

The State of Bluesky So Far:

• Rapid user growth: Bluesky is adding over 1 million new users daily, with a current user base of approximately 20 million. This surge is largely attributed to public dissatisfaction with X, including frustrations with changes under Elon Musk’s ownership, such as the removal of the blue checkmark system and shifts in algorithm prioritization. 
• Brands on the platform: Bluesky has attracted brands like The New York Times and The Washington Post, but many consumer brands remain cautious, monitoring its growth and community dynamics before committing. Adoption is still in its early stages.
• A shift in preference & a competitive landscape: The rapid adoption of Bluesky highlights a growing user preference for platforms that prioritize data privacy, user control, and transparency, while also signaling a shift in the competitive landscape. Its user-centric approach and unique features position it as a formidable competitor to established platforms, potentially driving these networks to reevaluate their data practices and engagement strategies.

Current Impact & Future Planning:

• Secure your brand’s handle: Register your brand’s handle ASAP to ensure consistency across platforms and prevent impersonation.
• Explore the tone and context: Spend time observing conversations and trends on Bluesky to understand the platform's unique tone, which skews toward casual, experimental, and meme-driven content.
• Connect with journalists: In the last couple weeks, there have been waves of journalists moving from X to Bluesky as their new primary platform to share news, POVs, media opportunities, and more. To keep pace with what editors, reporters, freelancers, and more are talking about, we recommend checking out the platform to see what your key targets are up to. 
• Bookmark the Journo Requests page! To keep tabs on media opportunities in real time, search “#journorequests” and be sure to bookmark the page! Many journalists, including Newsfluencers, are using Bluesky and X to find sources for their stories. By adding #journorequests to your Bookmarks, you’ll be able to keep a stronger pulse on reactive media opportunities and submit clients throughout the day.  
• Leverage the Czar Starter Packs: The Czar group is a community of reporters and PR professionals that has grown to more than 20K members, with journalists from top-tier outlets included. With the rise of Bluesky, Czar admins have created a “starter pack” that makes it easy for Bluesky users to follow reporters in their group. Simply click this link to access the starter pack. Click on the box labeled “PR Czars | StardustBluePR Starter Pack” and then the “Follow All” button at the top of the page. 
• Keep an eye out for earned reverb: In the same way a reshare of a hit on X or Instagram counts as an “earned” win, Bluesky will increasingly be a social platform to watch for shares and impressions.  

Why It Matters

Bluesky represents a significant development in the social media landscape, emphasizing decentralization, user autonomy, and privacy. And it’s making waves in the PR industry as well, with many influential PR folks creating a presence on the platform.  

Its rapid growth and distinctive features suggest a potential shift in user expectations and industry standards. However, to sustain its momentum and achieve widespread adoption, Bluesky must address scalability, feature development, and content moderation challenges.

In the immediate, we recommend brands create/secure a Bluesky account and start monitoring the site to assess its potential for reaching target audiences. Similar to when Threads launched, taking a test-and-learn approach could help brands understand their place on the platform and quickly gain valuable learnings. 

Interested in learning more about the evolving digital landscape? Reach out to us at hello@praytellagency.com

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